YOUR TOWN (MONTH, DAY, YEAR) -- A national consumer campaign is demanding that the Coca-Cola Company keep its promise to make new plastic soft drink bottles with recycled material. (YOUR GROUP) announced today that it is joining the "COKE - TAKE IT BACK!" campaign being organized by the GrassRoots Recycling Network.

"We are launching a consumer campaign demanding that the Coca-Cola Company start using recycled plastic in its plastic soft drink bottles," YOUR SPOKESPERSON, WITH THEIR TITLE, said. [ADD one sentence saying what your group does]

"We are asking consumers to mail empty plastic Coke bottles back to the company to protest the waste of resources. Coke sells billions of sodas in plastic bottles every year in the U.S. made from nonrenewable resources -- and not one of them uses an ounce of recycled plastic," _____ said. "That's not right."

Coca-Cola promised in 1990 to use 25 percent recycled material in new plastic soft drink bottles sold in the United States. The company used recycled plastic in some markets until 1994, when it stopped using recycled plastic in this country. Coke uses recycled content bottles in several other countries, according to company information. It would cost Coke a mere 1/10 of one penny more per 20 oz. container to use 25 percent recycled plastic, according to the industry trade publication, Plastics Recycling Update.

"Coca-Cola is not behaving as a responsible corporate citizen. Coke has broken its promise to the American people to recycle," Bill Sheehan, Network Coordinator for the GrassRoots Recycling Network, said.

The GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN) is a national nonprofit organization advocating public and private policies to achieve the goal of zero waste, while creating sustainable jobs that conserve human and natural resources. Headquartered in Athens, Georgia, the organization was established in 1996.

"Our campaign is about manufacturer responsibility. Recycling works only if manufacturers like Coke use the materials consumers recycle," Sheehan said.

Recycling rates for plastic soda bottles dropped dramatically from a peak of 50 percent in 1994 to 35.6 percent in 1998, according to data from industry sources. Plastic bottles are replacing aluminum and glass containers, which have recycled content.

Rick Best, chair of the GRRN Steering Committee, said: "As the soft drink industry leader, Coca-Cola bears a major part of the responsibility for the declining recycling rate of plastic soda bottles. By not buying recycled plastic for its bottles, Coke is undermining markets for recycled materials." In addition to serving as chair of GRRN, Best is the policy director for Californians Against Waste in Sacramento, California.

"One reason Coke uses recycled plastic in other countries is because of government mandates. In the United States, Coke and other companies have backed away from commitments to use recycled materials. The Take It Back Campaign is a way to bring consumer pressure on Coke to do the right thing voluntarily, rather than waiting for government mandates," Best said.

For more information, visit the GrassRoots Recycling Network’s website at www.grrn.org.